Reader response draft 3

Reader response on Khanna’s article

In the article “Explosive growth in Asian cities: Bright ideas to Seize the Urban Moment”, Khanna (2015) argues that South-east Asian capitals are the next reference model of “urban development” in the current era. The author states that these megacities’ populations are increasing rapidly due to migration from within each nation, and from other regions. He also emphasizes that due to this massive influx, these cities are expanding geographically while infrastructures are being built to accommodate their citizens. The writer reports that local government are facing complicated problems when providing basic necessities such as water, housing and reliable transport to their citizens due to the large populations. Khanna also reports that South-east Asian capitals are taking on the issues posed with "flexible governments, resourceful citizens and local infrastructure innovation." While he has explained innovations are important for South-east Asian capital, his innovative ideas are superficial. There are more pressing issues residing within these cities which should be the priority.

First, I would like to write about an issue faced in Bangkok. Bangkok has long faced the issue of air pollution, dating as far back as 1970s. The transportation sector contributes the most to the pollution situation in Bangkok. Rattakul states that about half of the 14,000 buses in Bangkok do not fulfill air quality control standard. (as cited in Gluckman, 2007)  According to The World Bank (2015), the government of Thailand has implemented measures to combat the issue of air pollution; such as adopting emission standards, phasing out lead in gasoline and reducing polluting rickshaws in the streets. Bangkok also encouraged a conversion from the old two-stroke engines to the cleaner four-stroke engines for the city’s motorbikes.

Next, I would like to write about the congestion issue in Jakarta. Jakarta currently has one of the most congested traffic situations in the world. This congestion is caused by the large amount of car ownership and the unreliable public transportation. Businesses in Jakarta are badly affected due to the lack of mobility. To combat this issue, the public works office from Jakarta plans to build 10 elevated roadways, and some have already been completed. According to Prabandari , the new elevated roadway that she uses to travel from her home to work takes only “matter of few minutes”. (“Can Jakarta build,” n.d.) Previously, the journey would have taken her about an hour. However, Prabandari mentions that during peak hour, the traffic condition is still congested as Antasari elevated roadway merges with other streets. The traffic condition in Jakarta was made worse by their government. Their government did not implement any measures to control neither car population nor traffic condition.

In conclusion, while Khanna has shown examples of mobile apps used in these megacities, it is not able to solve the problems these megacities have been facing all along. Issues such as pollution and transportation require a more concrete solution to it. 

References

Can Jakarta build answers to its transportation problems? (n.d.). Jakarta Globe. Retrieved September 30, 2015, from http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/can-jakarta-build-answers-to-its-transportation-problems/

From Santiago to Bangkok, cleaner air brings healthier lives. (2015). The World Bank. Retrieved September 30, 2015, from http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2015/04/13/from-santiago-to-bangkok-cleaner-air-brings-healthier-lives

Gluckman, R. (2007, May). Bangkok breathes easier. Retrieved September 30, 2015, from

http://www.gluckman.com/BangkokPollution.html

Hamer, A. (2014, January 30). Jakarta’s troubled infrastructure. The Diplomat. Retrieved September 30, 2015, from http://thediplomat.com/2014/01/jakartas-troubled-infrastructure/

KHANNA, P. (2015, June 11). Explosive growth in Asian cities: bright ideas to 'seize the urban moment'. The Straits Times. Retrieved September 30, 2015, from http://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/explosive-growth-in-asian-cities-bright-ideas-to-seize-the-urban-moment